Discover how Lance Gross grew GTS Physical Therapy from 10 locations to 24 in just four years, and why he says his practice now feels like it’s “on autopilot.”
From Hustling to Growing
Lance Gross has been a physical therapist for 28 years and has owned GTS Physical Therapy in northern Arkansas for seven years. When he partnered with Breakthrough four years ago, he had 10 locations and was hungry to grow.
“We were growth minded and we’re trying to strategize and we’re trying to do things, trying to market ourselves,” Lance said. “Trying to get going.”
Then everything changed.
Going All In
Lance made a decision that would transform his business: he committed fully to Breakthrough’s systems.
“We are 100% in, so we do everything that Breakthrough recommends and does,” Lance said. “And we’ve seen tremendous growth.”
His first workshop, just three weeks after joining, drew 50-60 people. So many that his team had to borrow chairs from the business next door. That momentum never stopped.
Today, GTS Physical Therapy operates 24 locations across northern Arkansas and southern Missouri, with more on the way. The practice maintains 40% annual growth in both visit volume and revenue.
The AI Advantage
Recently, Lance launched his first AI-powered text campaign to past patients. A simple check-in about how they’re feeling, with a reminder about year-end insurance deductibles.
The results? Over 300 responses in one morning. 55 patients signed up for new plans of care in a single day.
“Our marketing team didn’t do anything. Breakthrough did it all,” Lance said. “How many people would it take to actually sit there and respond to 300 text messages? There’s no way to compute that time.”
His marketing team, initially worried AI would replace them, discovered the opposite. The flood of responses meant more follow-up calls, more patient conversations, more opportunity.
Building a Brand on Autopilot
Four years of consistent Breakthrough advertising has created something invaluable for GTS: brand trust.
“We’ve created a brand in our communities because they’ve seen so much of our advertising on social media that they trust in us,” Lance said. “I don’t have to worry about patients coming in. Other practice owners probably worry, how many patients do we have next week? Are we going to make sure we get enough evals coming in? We don’t worry about that. They just keep coming and the growth just keeps going.”
What would it take to replicate Breakthrough’s work in-house? Lance has done the math.
“I would have to hire 20 people to do what Breakthrough does,” he said. “I don’t know anybody that does AI. I’d have to hire a person for that. A person for social media campaigns. An ad executive to make these ads, because they’re really good ads. They look professional. You couldn’t hire people to do what Breakthrough does for us.”
Now, his practice feels different.
“Almost like it’s on autopilot,” Lance said. “It has to be attributed to what we do with Breakthrough.”
